"Go, men!" Acronix' shouted, "Don't let a single one of them escape!"
Across the battlefield, Vermillion feld. The massive force that had previously dominated them, taken so many with them already, attempted to blast them apart, ruin every chance they had to fight back, were fleeing. Snakes, both dead and alive, slithered and writhed under the pounding feet of men that chased after them, determined to finally take them down in turn.
"We will not let you escape," Sir Neuro placed his hands onto his head, causing several Vermillion to shriek out and collapse onto the ground, their minds blasted apart.
Sir Ash and his men, all dressed in the colors and pelts of wolves, descended on a massive giant of snakes curled up into smashed armor, ripping them apart with claws and blades. With a flick of his wrist, Sir Jay summoned lightning from the sky that shot down and blasted apart tens of Vermillion at once, his men moving in swiftly with blades to cut them down. Lady Tox held up a gauntlet with strange vials in them that rapidly filled with a sickly green, plunging them into Vermillion after Vermillion that suddenly turned a deep, sickly pale green and simply slumped apart. The Elemental Army had made their move.
"Fight for him!" Rena shouted, flashing her spear as she descended from the sky in a viscous strike, "For General Number Son! For Lulloyd!"
Alacr, surrounded by a row of men in Speed Tribe robes, each drew their weapons and held them up over their faces, lowering their heads with a single breath. In perfect sync, they raised their sword into a lunging position and blasted forward on rays of speed, catching up to fleeing Vermillion. The snakes had just enough time to turn around in fear before they slashed them apart, cleaving through their very armor itself. Alacr himself spun his sword twice to cleave apart a warrior, flicked his sword clean, and sheathed it with a dignified bow of his head.
In the air, a massive flash of blue shot forward. Ninja Force Jay, putting his fear aside, charged up his mech as quickly as he could, the Lightning Mech sparking between the numerous conductor rods along its length. He shot right in the middle of the few remaining Vermillion fighters in the air, grinning nervously as he shouted out, 'Mine, mine, mine!' and unleashed his barrage. The electricity fried several fighters, sending them careening down and into the Vermillion that retreated.
"Save some for us here, Jay!" Ninja Force Kai gasped out, "We like, totally got this!" The Fire Mech raised up its massive flamethrower arms, slamming down onto the ground and scorching several tanks that attempted to rebuild on the ground.
"Affirmative," Ninja Force Zane beamed as he froze a massive ramp for his Ice Mech to fly over and into the Vermillion, "This is far more fun when they're retreating."
"This isn't fun, Zane!" Ninja Force Nya leapt up into the air on her Water Mech, landing on a large set of the snakes and watching them collapse, "... Okay, maybe a little fun." Ninja Force Cole didn't respond, instead just changing his tunes to a rock 'n' roll track as he spun in place and smashed them apart.
"Don't get cocky!" Lulloyd's voice stunned them all into silence, "These snakes can still get the best of you! You hear me?!"
"Yes, Commander!" The five all shouted at once without thinking. They quickly formed up, turning to help the Elemental Army's flank.
"Sir!" One of the Shark Army general's nasally voice flared up on their comm, "We've recovered the big red fleshy dragon thing!"
Several Jelly Subs had come down and formed a defensive line alongside the dragons surrounding the collapsed Firstbourne. The Elemental Dragons all roared and spat out at the Vermillion as they fled, all of whom seemed to have no further interest in attacking them. As their blasts of raw elements created more holes in their lines, the subs had begun wrapping their long orange chains around the Firstbourne and gently lifting her into the air. In her talons, she clutched a golden speck.
The subs passed over the Stone Army, who, under Kozu's command, roared out and chased after the snakes with seemingly endless energy. Kozu was a brick wall crashing with the speed of a train, each blow that he served enough to knock the armor spiralling off into the distance. The Vermillion attempted to turn and make a stand against him, holding up their swords just to be plowed down before they could make contact. They carved a deep V into the forces, heading right towards the massive husk of the Iron Demise that they were fleeing towards.
As all of the forces that had previously fought for their lives now turned aggressors, the Iron Demise stood in the sky. The machine's arms hung limp, each of its hands now a twisted, broken mess. The massive weapons it had held had fallen into the ground below, plunged deep enough it would take entire cranes to remove. The machine seemed to have lost all its color, the reds giving way to the pure, mechanical gray and black that made up its shell. The snakes appeared to have retreated into the machine, leaving the Iron Demise as to what it and its smaller kin had always been: a pure mechanical husk. The sun had begun to drift behind it, meaning that the shadow it cast reached almost across the entire battlefield and towards the Corridor of Elders itself.
From around the back of the Iron Demise, however, two figures walked forward, their hands still clasped tightly together. They both looked tired, haggard in a way that showed the exhaustion their efforts had taken on them. The massive Serpentus Bounty sized hole that had been burrowed clean through the Demise's chest stood as a mark of their achievement together.
Harumi and Over walked forward, running parallel to the line of Vermillion streaming to attempt to flee into the Iron Demise's opened hatches. The two, however, weren't interested in fighting. They watched the others use their own will, force and determination to whittle down their numbers. That alone was enough for them to rest easy, even as they walked along a ridge that let them overlook the retreating swarm.
Suddenly, Harumi tripped, pitching forward onto her knees. Over immediately got down on his own knees, his hand reaching up to gently press on her shoulder. Harumi looked up at him, her face coated in sweat, her breath coming in small pants.
"I'm fine," Harumi beat him to the question, "I'm… I'm just tired right now. I did just take out nearly an entire army, after all…"
"Yes, but this power is taking its toll on you," Over shook his head, "You are strong to have endured for so long. Victory is yours, Harumi, that much is certain."
"Thanks, Over…" Harumi groaned, "Just… help me stand up so I can start moving again, alright?"
Over, still somewhat worried for her, nodded his head. He pulled her back up to her feet, using their linked hands to keep each other stable. Even now, it wasn't lost on Harumi that Over was barely standing on his own feet. She wasn't sure what had happened to him before this, but she was certain that the two had gone through similar levels of punishment. They needed each other to keep going. The two continued along the ridge, walking for what felt like hours, even if the sun seemed to never falter from its spot in the sky above.
"I didn't see Prime," Harumi shook her head to him as their forces grew closer, "I'm guessing something happened to him, right?"
Over was silent for a moment, then nodded his head, "Yes. Prime gave into his anger and hatred. Ophiod lent me his aid, and in turn… I ended his suffering."
"So Ophiod is on our side too, then?" Harumi asked, "... Are you alright, Over?"
Over was silent for a moment, then simply exhaled, "I am the one who rules over all. It is my duty to be able to make decisions that would affect far more than just myself," Over closed his eyes, "This, however, was not my decision to make. It was Ophiod who gave me his power to allow me to finally stand to Prime in his realized state. It was his decision. I was simply the arbiter of it."
"Are you okay with that?" Harumi asked, "Do you agree with his decision?"
"... Prime, was sick," Over inhaled, "I did not want to end our battle that way. In truth, I had prayed, deep within my own depths of illogical reason, that he would see that his methods were unjust. Yet in the end, all that I could do was send him to meet the one that had caused him so much pain and suffering," Over raised his head, "And doing so has finally allowed me to see what path I must take in life."
"Just like I have, then?" Harumi asked. Over gave a small smile.
"Yes, Harumi," Over nodded, "When I fought Prime, I understood why I was unable to defeat him before. I understood that I had approached it as a matter of pure light, and pure darkness. I had assumed Prime was light, yet he allowed darkness to creep into his soul. When I finally understood what that battle meant, I realized that I had withheld the light from my own soul… and it allowed me to finally understand the connection I had to him."
"You finally understood Kinetic Overload then," Harumi smiled, "You mentioned that a weapon ability was linked to the person who used it. Once you understand yourself, you could finally understand Sun, right?"
"Just as you finally understood yourself, and thus understood your power," Over acknowledged, "We are one in the same."
Harumi gripped his hand a bit tighter. The two moved to stand atop the ridge, finally seeing their forces directly in front of them routing the ones that they chased. The Vermillion had been reduced down to a fraction now. A formidable fraction, but one that could be fought. And as they looked across it, Over slowly relaxed his hand, looking towards Harumi with an expression that detailed what they had to do.
Just as Harumi went to let go on her own, however, she heard a different voice: "Wait."
Harumi turned to see Over, his lips curled into a confused frown. All at once, she knew who she was speaking to. Harumi turned to fully face the Overlord, the part of Over's being that she knew was the one that needed to speak to her most.
"Why?" The Overlord asked, "I must know. You had every chance to destroy us there. You could have turned your power onto us, and we could do nothing to stop you. Why did you decide to spare us?"
Harumi stared at the Overlord for a few seconds. She'd felt it, of course. When she landed in front of Over, she could feel his fear, his hesitation. He almost ran from her, after all. It was the part of his soul that would forever be the Overlord, knowing the battle that would always take place between them.
"I demand to know why one that holds the power of the First Master, would dare to let their eternal rival go," The Overlord growled out. Even then, his words lacked anger.
Harumi inhaled. She thought back to the sight of her at the Golden Peaks, the cloud of the Overlord's essence in front of her, looking at her with the same confusion that this one did. And in turn, Harumi spoke the words that she'd said to her own Overlord in what felt like both so long, and so little ago:
"Because I get it now," Harumi smiled warmly, "I know what has to be done. You were never meant to be cast aside like my ancestor did. We've both lost things, we've both fought to try to get them back. Maybe now, it's time that we stop fighting each other, and we try to finally understand each other. A certain person taught me that the Overlord is more than just pure evil. If we're both suffering, then we can both help each other move forward."
The Overlord was silent, stunned out of his words. Harumi could sense the confusion in him, the fear gradually building to instead a confused acceptance.
"You… truly would let someone like me go?" The Overlord asked, "You would truly, allow me to live?"
"It's not about living," Harumi shook her head, "It's about being able to be the people we were meant to be. You weren't meant to be purely evil. Look what it brought us, trying to live that way. We've done nothing but hurt each other, make each other miserable, and for what? I'm not saying that we will ever fully get along, or that we'll understand everything, but we can at least try to help each other thrive, rather than destroy ourselves."
"...You are either very wise, or very foolish," The Overlord commented, "You told this to the one you released in your own world, yes? You let him go free?"
"I did," Harumi smiled, "And I'll make sure that he stays that way."
The Overlord was silent for a long moment. He looked down at the hand that the two of them held. Slowly, he released his grip on Harumi's hand, allowing them to separate. Even then, however, the infusion of purple and gold the two had on each other's clothes remained.
"Thank you, great-grandaughter," The Overlord spoke reverently, "You have done something no other has been able to."
A moment later, Over's eyes came back into focus, blinking as he spoke quietly, "...What?" He looked towards Harumi, worry in his eyes, "Harumi, did he speak with you? He did not let me listen… did he say something to you?"
"He said everything he needed to," Harumi responded warmly. Over, wondering what was to be said but not knowing if he could get it from her, simply nodded his head. Slowly, the two turned again to look towards their forces, even as a few of their men spotted them and began to race over at them.
"W-Woah…" Lulloyd gulped, pulling his dragon-head helmet off, "Harumi, you're… you're…"
"This is amazing!" Mage chirped, "You're… you're! You've unlocked your powers?!"
"True potential is probably what it's called," Monty sighed, "Don't have to rub it in."
Lloyd just stared, flabbergasted, at the sight of Harumi glowing with her Golden Power. On the deck of the Serpentus Bounty, now landed on the ground in front of the Iron Demise, the six of them all stood together once again. Harumi seemed to shimmer ethereally against the deck, casting light around her that put her in the middle of a halo. In contrast, Over seemed to do the opposite, forming a purple aura against the deck and remaining grounded, almost far too much so, despite the golden armor now on his body.
"I'm… wow…" Lloyd finally formed words, "Harumi, you're… you. You unlocked your… you, actually managed to…"
"You don't have to act all shocked Lloyd," Harumi smiled, "I know what this looks like, but I'm still me. I just reclaimed what was always supposed to be mine."
"Yeah but, you also, we all saw what you did to the Iron Demise!" Lloyd shook his head, "That, that was just incredible. I don't even know how you did that!"
"That looked like Sun's attack," Mage smiled, "... What happened to taking moves from someone who's gone, Over?"
Over turned to Mage and gave him a small smile, "There is no shame in taking moves from one whose spirit never truly died."
"So, what, you two are all superpowered now?" Monty waved his hand, "You both look like you could solo the Time Twins on your own now."
"As much as we would like to, the power of time is one that cannot be underestimated," Over frowned again, "And our power is not as infinite as it appears. We exhausted most of it in both turning the tide of battle, and destroying the Iron Demise."
"How wonderfully plot convenient," Monty pressed his hand against his head.
"Even when I had all my power, I wasn't able to just win every single battle," Lloyd frowned, "The Twins have already seen your power, they'll do everything they can not to let us near them now."
"As strong as I look, I am holding the power of four Golden Weapons at once right now," Over shook his head, "It strains me to do so. While their power is great, I must either shed it, or continue to hold onto it. And for right now, I have made the decision to do the latter." The subtle shaking and stumbling on his feet that Harumi had seen with him now made far more sense.
"Lulloyd," Harumi turned to look at him, "I didn't get to see your armor before I left," She smiles, "It looks good on you."
"What?" Lulloyd looked down, seeing his armor on and quickly blushing, "You… erm, think so? Really? I uh, I mean, it's definitely not what I'm used to but, I mean, I like it."
"I heard from the troops you were a strong leader too," Harumi nodded, "You really came through, Lulloyd."
Lulloyd wanted to say something, but the embarrassment of that, coming from someone as smart and tactfully skilled as Harumi, left him stunned beyond words. Harumi just gave him a friendly smile, then reached out to take Over's hand, helping quell his shaking.
"I think we all did pretty well so far," Mage spoke up, "I know that I kinda, went down there at the end, but we all did what we needed to, right?"
"Yes, Mage is correct," Over looked around, "We have thus far performed our roles according to plan. We must now worry about completing the final task that we have at hand."
Slowly, the six of them wordlessly turned to look up at the massive Iron Demise that lay in the sky above them. It remained there, still looming over them in an imposing glare down at them. Even if they stood on a ship that would put every other Bounty, Serpentine Craft, and vehicle they'd used to shame, it was still little compared to the Iron Demise.
"It will not be easy," The group turned to see Ophiod slithering towards them across the deck, "But you all have managed to power through every obstacle that has been placed in your path thus far. I do not think it would be possible for you to fail at this point."
"Ophiod," Over nodded his head, "We are glad to see you."
"I'm not," Monty sighed. Lulloyd gave him a harsh glare.
"I come bringing word that we have intercepted a single Vermillion fighter that was fleeing the Demise," Ophiod nodded, "And the two pilots were none other than Morro… and Skales."
"Morro?" Lloyd turned to look at everyone else, "... Come on, we need to talk to him!"
The group quickly followed after Ophiod, who turned after giving Harumi a long look. Seeing her reassuring smile, he decided to put that thought aside and slither away. He led the group down and off the Serpentus Bounty, moving down towards the battlefield. Earth Tribe members had worked to clean up and sort the thousands of snakes and discarded armor that the Vermillion had left behind, clearing space for a makeshift airfield. Ophiod led them through Nindroid Jets and Shark Army aircraft, slithering along the way as soldiers around them worked tirelessly to organize the battlefield.
Ophiod brushed past two Shark Army gunners, leading them to where a half-scorched Vermillion fighter lay. The piece of metal and snake, cobbled together like all of the other Vermillion craft, had two people sitting down against it with several Stone Army guards. General Kozu walked up to them as they approached.
"Sir," Kozu growled out, "We captured these two fleeing just after the Iron Demise was destroyed. They claim to know you."
"And they do indeed," Over nodded, "Stand aside, Kozu. These are allies." Kozu did as he was told, giving Over a reverent look despite his newly acquired armor. Morro and Skales were allowed to stand.
The moment that they were released, Skales rushed straight past them all and threw his arms around Ophiod, wrapping his limbs around him tightly and hugging him without a care for those around them. A momentary shock later, Ophiod leaned down and planted a powerful kiss against Skale's face, their fangs intertwining as they shared a passionate kiss and hugged one another.
"Skales… Skales," Ophiod gripped him tightly, "You're safe, you're safe. I… I was worried, I had thought, that you…" The confident tone Ophiod had held the entire battle had suddenly vanished, replaced by a trembling, nervous voice.
"Hush," Skales groaned out, "You'll embarrass yourself in front of everyone."
"I… I joined them Skales, I…" Ophiod whispered, "I know you. You wanted me to join them, I finally did. I did the right thing, and now I… I have you back and. That's all that matters and-"
"Did I not just tell you to be quiet?" Skales cut him off. Ophiod suddenly felt tears from Skales' eyes as he pressed his head up against Ophiod's chest, "This has been a long day and… I had feared the worst. Let us just enjoy this moment together."
Ophiod wanted to spill so much more to Skales. He wanted to tell him about Prime, Over, the scroll, and why he'd done what he had. There were so many things that he needed to tell them all, so many things that he had to tell him. But for right now, he just nodded and wrapped his massive tail around the two-legged Hypnobrai, letting the two of them simply enjoy their presence together.
"I'm glad to see you're safe," Morro stepped forward to let those two have their moment, "It was a bit of a hassle to get out, but it looks like we managed just fine."
"Did you manage to take back your power?" Lloyd asked. Morro raised his hand and formed a ball of green, then crushed it and made it flow over his arm instead.
"The Twins can't travel in universes anymore," Morro nodded, "And without the core you just destroyed, they won't be moving in time either."
"What about the Iron Doom?" Lloyd asked, "Weren't they using that to pilot it?"
"They wired the systems together in order to function," Morro explained, "When you ripped out the power supply of the Iron Demise, you likely destroyed the Iron Doom's systems as well. And just in case that didn't work…"
Morro reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small flash drive he tossed over into Harumi's hands, "While I was working undercover, I found out how to disable all the code that went into the Time Matrix. If they try to travel in time, the Iron Doom will break itself again."
The group all looked down at it with shock, then up to Morro with awe. Morro slowly nodded, then reached down and gently began to undo his armor. Until now, he'd worn the distinctive colors of the Time Twins. When he let them fall away, however, he revealed himself to be wearing the deepstone armor, the deep black and green complementing one another as he moved and brushed his hair back. He charged his fists with his power, his eyes glowing a deep green.
"I'm done hiding who I am for the Twins," Morro nodded, "Right now, I want to do everything I can to help you track them down."
"Well, aren't you trying to be all dramatic, hrmm?" Monty stepped forward, phasing through the others to stand right in front of Morro,
"Monty," Morro nodded his head, "Thank you for delivering me all of the messages for me. I'm glad to know that there was someone so reliable on your team."
"I'm going to ignore that and ask you this: won't the Twins just use the Time Blades to get away?" Monty growled, "Why won't they just run?"
"Because the Twins have their pride before anything else," Morro shook his head, "Right now, they're waiting for us to go and get them," Morro nodded, "I also need to give you this."
Morro reached into his pocket, pulling out none other than the Realm Crystal. Lloyd's eyes widened as Morro held it out to Monty, "I stole this from Oni to send you my message. I figured you would like to have it."
Monty, seeing the crystal, took a long moment to figure out how to answer. He reached out and snatched the thing hard from Morro's hand, stuffing it into his belt and saying nothing more.
"...Morro?" Wu's voice drifted across the air.
Morro turned to see Wu, his own master, staring at him with shock. Around him, the Chi ninja stood, all looking at him with similar levels of shock.
"Master Wu," Morro slowly walked over towards him.
"... Do not call me that," Wu hung his head, "I am no Master. I have done terrible things in the name of my students."
"I know what you did, Master," Morro nodded his head, "I know," Wu hung his head.
"We're… we're sorry, Morro!" Chi Jay spoke up, "We didn't mean to, you know…"
"We thought they were going to... " Chi Nya cut herself off.
"I know," Morro nodded, "But you helped during this battle, didn't you?"
"We did!" Chi Kai nodded, "You should've seen us! We were bashing snakes left and right!"
"If you helped defeat them, then I can't be mad at you," Morro smiled at Wu, "I know that you did everything that you could to help."
"Indeed," Master Wu walked up, followed by none other than the leader of the Serpentine, Skales, "A wise Master is one that is able to rectify his mistakes, not avoid them."
"So, you are the other one of me in this battle," Wu hung his head, "You do not know the sins that I have committed. I have allowed for more than just my student here to suffer by my actions. I am a flawed man."
"Yet that does not mean that you have not earned your title," Master Wu shook his head, "Work not towards losing one's self, but improving one's self. You have done a misdeed, yes. But now, you have the chance to rectify it."
"It is not as easy as it would seem," Wu shook his head, "You appear to have had a far more fortuitous past."
"That does not mean that I have not made mistakes…" Master Wu sighed, "It was my own mistake that allowed the Twins that plague you now to be freed in the first place. It is only by the grace of my students that I was able to work towards making it right."
"Then… it seems we both share the fortune of having been blessed with wondrous students," Wu smiled, reaching out and taking Morro's wrist. Monty frowned deeply in the background.
"Indeed," Master Wu walked over and put his arm around Lloyd, "Indeed."
"I have come to report that the Serpentine did not suffer any casualties when you so gallantly allowed your forces to be pushed back," Skales, the Snake King, interrupted the moment "What a wondrous display that was…"
"You think you could've done better?" Monty sighed, crossing his arms.
"I believe that you could have at least stood your line a bit further back than our limit," Snake King Skales shook his head, drifting his eyes towards where Ophiod was, "... And speaking of limits…"
Slowly, the two-legged Skales, still holding Ophiod's hand, turned to see the Snake King. The two versions of the same Hypnobrai stared each other down, assessing what they each had become. Slowly, Snake King Skales gave a small chuckle.
"So, this is what has become of me in other worlds?" Snake King Skales grinned, "I had assumed that my ambition to rule would have remained… intact."
"So, that is what I look like as General," Skales gave a grin of his own, "I'm shorter than I imagined I'd be."
"Bold of one who never grew past his station to look down upon his king," Snake King Skales hissed out.
"You are looking at the one and true king," Skales gripped Ophiod's arm, "Though I suppose one blinded by power would fail to see it."
"Is that so?" Snake King Skales looked Ophiod up and down, then looked back coyly at his counterpart, "Still sucking up to those above you to get ahead then, I see?"
"At least I still have my youth," Skales shook his head back, "I didn't realize royalty took its toll on me so heavily."
"...Hmmph!" Snake King Skales turned his head up, "There is no reasoning with the youth. They are as spirited as they are foolish!" He turned towards Lloyd, "You've heard my report. I'll leave you with this… interesting tag-along."
Skales said nothing as he watched the Snake King slither away. After a moment, the turned to look at Ophiod and slowly growled out, "If I ever begin acting like that, you have right to use your magic on me." Ophiod, seeing Skales didn't realize the irony of how similar they were, simply nodded at him.
"Now that our forces are free from siege, what is our plan?" Master Wu turned to the others, "We may hold the advantage now, but we must not rest on our laurels."
"The next stage in our plan is already in place," Over nodded, "We will gather a small force to enter the Iron Demise and attack the Twins from the inside."
"And what force will you require?" Master Wu raised his eyebrow.
"Any who are willing," Over nodded, "We have many wounded, and many who have lost the will to fight. We will leave them behind with guard while we move in to finish the Twins."
"In that case, we need to confirm our plan with the Twins," Lloyd nodded, "The good ones, I mean."
"I believe I saw them with faces that I did not recognize," Master Wu planted his staff down, "I will take you to them."
"If it is all the same with you," Morro raised his voice, "My team and I will look over the ship you flew into battle. If you need it, we'll make sure it will fly."
"The Serpentus Bounty," Harumi nodded, "That's what it's called now, right?"
"Yes," Ophiod nodded, "I named it after an ancient Serpentine general that fought many long battles. Much like us, however, it took her aligning with her enemies to fully found the city in which she was laid to rest."
"That or the fact it's a pun on Serpent," Monty sighed, "Yeah, you go have fun with that, Morro," Monty looked sharply at Wu, "You can keep him away from me."
"Let us go," Wu nodded, "Come, ninja!" Morro gave Monty a small look before he turned and gathered the rest of his ninja behind him. As they left, Monty seemed to visibly relax.
With the other team taken care of, Master Wu guided the group off into the middle of a makeshift camp. On the now cleared-away battlefield, small tents had been erected for the injured. Medics and healers raced from tent to tent to help those that had been taken down during the conflict. The losses they had suffered were a pittance compared to the Vermillion, yet it hurt Mage no less to see the men from the tribes laying in pain and agony from the attacks. No matter what happened next, they had to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.
Master Wu led them into a small area where a small campfire had been erected. Carnelian sat in front of it, using her power to help stoke the flames and keep the fire burning bright. The rest of Harumi's team were nearby, helping with the efforts however they could. Lulloyd spotted his team amongst them, chatting away with them. Lloyd, likewise, saw his own friends, gawking at the fact they were seeing so many people that looked like or were somewhat related to them.
"So, you play?" Ronin sat up against a small rock, pointing at Forte's keytar.
"Heck yeah I do!" Forte beamed, "I'm a bit of a big deal back where I come from. And I'm not just making that up! I just released my latest album a few months ago, number 1 on the charts!"
"Dang, that's impressive," Ronin smirked, "You know, I know a kid that plays guitar pretty well. Maybe you two should-"
"What's going on over here?" Monty interjected, putting himself between the two of them.
"Just making some small talk while waiting for you to come back," Ronin grinned, "Good to see you, kid. Did you know this girl here was a pop star?"
"Yeah, I did," Monty sighed, "And I know that you shouldn't be talking to her at all."
"What? Why?" Ronin blinked, "What'd I do?" Monty, not wanting to hear it, moved in and swiftly pulled Ronin up to his feet.
Off in the near distance, Andrus sat beside Tye and Millie, the three of them talking to Zane and Pixal.
"If I am to understand this correctly, you have been utilizing a doped p-catalyst in order to achieve greater electron transfer across the gap located in most internal nindroid circuits?" Pixal asked.
"Well, it's a heavily modified catalyst, and Andrus here is the one that knows the details," Tye waved his hand, "But, yeah, mostly."
"Acknowledgement of statement: information is classified under Borg Corporation Directive 11.17.a Section 3. Information may not be shared with non Class-5 Borg Corporation Personnel," Millie spoke up for her friends.
"Let's see," Andrus leaned his head down and began typing information on his wristtop, "I believe that is all we can say on the matter for now," Andrus nodded, "Have you determined what causes your heart to move, Zane?"
"I have not," Zane shook his head, "I have decided it was not worth doing so."
"That is true, you are a semi-organic being," Andrus affirmed, "I suppose it would be slightly unethical to perform experiments like that on organics."
As the five of them continued to speak, Jay and Kai were discussing several important notes with their counterparts from a different world.
"So, you're saying you fly around, in a jet, that shots out lightning?!" Jay gasped out, "That's so cool!"
"You, really think so?" Ninja Force Jay asked, "I actually uh, think it's a little scary…"
"Nah, bro, we talked about this!" Ninja Force Kai hugged his buddy, "You, up there? You're like, the best possible guy we could have up there. Your mech is totally cool!"
"So, what's your mech?" Kai smirked, "I'm sure it can't be as cool as the ones I've used…"
"Oh no, man, it's totally sweet," Ninja Force Kai grinned, "It's got huge flamethrowers for arms. I can spray an entire street down in ten seconds flat."
"...Woah, I got to see this!" Kai beamed, "You gotta let me try it!"
"I got you, fam," Ninja Force Kai held up his fist, "Flames forever, dude!"
"Fiya~!" Kai gave his counterpart a fistbump. Without saying a word, the two made fire noises with their mouths.
"We uh, don't have to do that," Ninja Force Jay blinked, "Right?" Jay nodded.
Nearby, the two Nyas were having a small chat beside their respectives Coles, both putting on headphones and jamming out to a tune inside of Ninja Force Cole's boombox.
"Turn it up?" Cole asked. Without a word, Ninja Force Cole turned it up, letting them jam out.
"Look, I'm all for the whole 'girl power' thing, but sometimes it goes too far!" Nya shook her head, "I'm not wrong, am I?"
"But if you don't push it, then nobody gets it," Ninja Force Nya sighed, "It totally sucks. You want everyone to know you're strong, but you also don't want them to write you off."
"That's just boys for you," Nya rolled her eyes, "They only notice things when it's right in front of their faces."
"Right on, sister," Ninja Force Nya nodded. The two shared a smirk.
"Sweetie!" Coco called out as soon as she saw her son. Lulloyd blinked and smiled as he split of to go see her.
"Son, you were amazing out there!" Coco gave him a big hug, "Ohhh I'm so proud of you! You're so strong now too! You used your father's staff so well!"
"Heh, thanks, mom," Lulloyd blushed, "I uh, thought I did well."
"You have every right to think that!" Coco beamed, "Oh! Do you know if Lloyd's mother is here? Your friend, I mean."
"Misako?" Cole pulled his headphones off to look over at her, "Oh, we couldn't find her."
"...I'm sorry, what?" Coco blinked, "You couldn't find her?"
"Misako is a researcher," Zane replied neutrally, "She is often away on several important artifact hunts and mapping expeditions. She does not spend much time with us."
"Oh," Coco sighed, "That makes sense."
"Yeah," Jay nodded, "All through Lloyd's childhood too!"
Coco suddenly stiffened up, or as much as a plastic piece could, "...Wait a minute, what?" Coco moved up in front of the assembled group, "What does that mean?"
"Uh… my mom wasn't around?" Lloyd blinked. Coco turned to Harumi.
"My mom passed away when I was born," Harumi admitted.
"First verse, same as the first," Monty nodded.
"I never met my mother," Mage shook his head.
"I am in the same situation as the others," Over nodded.
"...Honey!" Coco's eye twitched. Garmadon, currently polishing up a different staff, blinked and leapt down from the top of a tent, landing beside his wife.
"What's going on?!" Garmadon growled out, "Are we under attack?! Need a strike force?! I can get us in the air in thirteen seconds!"
"What's the legal age you can adopt someone at?" Coco asked.
"Uh… adopt?" Garmadon blinked, "Is that some form of, extended kidnapping?"
As Coco and Garmadon began to chat in detail about it, Over quickly ushered the group around them. Lulloyd excused himself as the group moved over towards the rest of Harumi's friends. Unlike the rest of everyone around them, the group had remained together in one cluster around the fire.
"Harumi!" Mizuko shouted. Before Harumi could say anything, she was swarmed by her friends all at once.
"Your power, your power!" Mizuko gasped out, "Harumi you're so pretty!"
"That was an impressive display!" Ren smiled, "It was a sight no one else could behold."
"I have to write a song about this!" Forte nodded, "You inspired me, that was, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"
"You displayed something none of us could have," Olive smiled, "You have truly earned a response of gratitude from us all."
"Alright, alright, coming through!" Carnelian pushed around her friends, moving forward and smiling at Harumi. Before she could say anything, Harumi suddenly was dipped backwards, Carnelian's lips pushed hard into her own as she swooned her lover. When Carnelian let go of her, Harumi was left gasping for air.
"There," Carnelian smirked, "That's for upstaging me. And this," Carnelian pulled her into another warm kiss, "Is for being the most, amazing, ridiculously perfect girlfriend in any universe out there!"
"T-Thanks…" Harumi appeared slightly dazed by the kisses, "I… uh… why aren't you girls, going out and talking to everyone?"
All at once, an air of awkwardness descended down over the group. Carnelian pulled Harumi back up and held her hand tightly as the others lowered their heads.
"I would speak to them," Olive shook her head, "But I believe it is for the best that we do not cross our paths too greatly."
"I do not know what I would say to my mother," Ren shook her head, "Nor do I think she would be the same as I remember."
"I don't want to give my dad any spoilers!" Mizuko nodded, "Even I know that's a bad idea!"
"I uh, don't quite know what I'd even say!" Forte blushed, "You know?"
"Are you sure you girls don't want to take this chance?" Harumi asked.
Mizuko rubbed her arm, "We just, don't think we should talk to them too much. Don't want to mess up the timeline and all that."
"Even if it would be awesome to know how dad was in the past!" Forte added.
"We all agree on this," Ren nodded, "We will fight alongside them, but it is best if they do not know who we are. Regardless of our own selfish desires."
"That's fine, girls," Harumi smiled, "...Uhm. Listen. I know that I have my power now, and everything, but, I'm still me, alright? I was kinda rushing to get back here earlier and I might have freaked you out."
"What are you talking about?" Carnelian smirked, "You kiss the same as usual, nothing's changed about you!"
"We were just stunned earlier," Ren nodded, "We promise, we are quite alright with this change."
"Your power appears to be stable now that you have removed the unstable weapon from your possession," Olive affirmed, "Danger level is therefore decreased significantly."
"...Thanks, girls," Harumi smiled warmly, "I was… a bit worried there, for a second."
"Now... " Forte raised her keytar up, "What is he doing here?"
The girls all turned to see Ophiod and Skales still holding hands at the back of the small assembled group. Slowly, Ophiod slithered forward and bowed his head.
"I have joined your cause," Ophiod nodded, "I understand that is hard to believe, but I have already proven my resolve to Over. I will not hurt you again."
"You mind controlled me!" Forte pointed at him, "And you beat up my friends!"
"I saw it!" Mizuko added.
"I am willing to atone for that," Ophiod nodded, "If you wish to enact vengeance on me-"
Suddenly, all of the girls were lined up in front of Ophiod. Before Ophiod could respond, each of them had summoned their elements and blasted the Viper with them. Skales let go of his arm out of shock, drawing his blade in confusion as Ophiod was knocked onto the ground by it. As Ophiod pushed himself up the others looked down at him.
"... I was going to offer that," Ophiod grunted, "Are you satisfied?"
"Actually, yeah!" Forte grinned, "I feel prettttty good."
"I concur," Olive nodded, "I am experiencing emotional highs."
Slowly, Ophiod pushed himself up as the rest of the girls began to chuckle and laugh. The Viper decided not to mention he could absorb elemental power, letting them have the moment. As the others of the group shared in the moment with him, Mage blinked as he felt someone tapping his shoulder. As he turned around, he saw none other than Krux', looking down at him and nodding.
"Mage," Krux' nodded, "We must discuss our next move."
"Krux! We were looking for you and 'Nix!" Mage nodded, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing expect we are in need of action," Krux' nodded, "We have stabilized the Firstbourne. Her injuries were shallow but numerous. Her children are exhausted from protecting her. Right now, we cannot rely on the help of our dragons for this coming battle."
"Right," Mage nodded, "I understand. I need to give her my thanks for protecting me during the end of the battle."
"There is more," Krux' continued, "I have spoken with Muto. The Iron Demise is too saturated in time energy for him to perform our plan inside of the machine. If you are to move forward with the plan that you have now, we will need to bring them outside, to him."
"Bring them outside?" Harumi distanced herself from her friends to move over, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that you will need to get the Twins away from the Iron Demise," Krux' frowned, "My brother and I will help you do so. But if you intend to go forward with your plan…"
The others moved to gather around the universal counterpart. Krux' looked around at them, then he put his hands on his gauntlets hooked to his belt. This close, they could see he was tired, but refusing to sit down and rest.
"Is our plan still solid?" Over asked, "If we must alter it, we must do it now."
"We've completed the impossible part," Krux' smirked, "But the hard part remains."
"Do you think we can defeat the Twins?" Monty asked, "You have some experience with this, after all."
"I think it's possible," Krux' affirmed, "But we must do so now. Before the Twins attempt to repair their machine and flee."
"Then we must get the Twins outside the Iron Demise," Lloyd declared, "Let's gather our forces, then. It's time for us to wage one final battle against them!"
In front of the Iron Demise, the assembled strikeforce stood. The machine continued to loom over them, it's dead and imposing husk a source of fear now that they were this close to it. The massive hatch that opened into its maw were pure darkness, leaving an uncertainty of what would happen if they walked inside.. None of them could see the machine's top from this close to its body, a fact which made it even more unnerving to be this close.
Towards the front of the group, the six that had started this all stood. Harumi gripped her fists, her golden robes flickering around her. Over held up his golden sword, taking a deep breath. Mage slowly reached up and stretched out each of his fingers, while Lulloyd frowned and planted his warlord staff and sword into the ground. Monty twirled Ebony and Ivory over his hands. Lloyd slowly shook his head, gripping his first.
Behind them stood their allies that had come with them. Carnelian slowly flexed her fists, alongside the rest of the girls behind her. General Kozu growled and flexed his stone muscles and swords. Garmadon and Coco both held onto their weapons and blinked to one another. Master Wu held his staff, alongside the rest of the ninja. Skylar crossed her arms behind Mage, looking at him expectantly. Ronin finished them off, holding up his rifle and sighing.
The rest of the force was made of the Shark, Stone and Elemental Army that had volunteered to continue the fight. Many of the tribal leaders were there, brandishing their weapons. The dragons were left behind, flying alongside the Serpentus Bounty piloted by Morro and the other Chi ninja. The force was small compared to the Vermillion armies before, but together, it would have to be enough to take one what was inside the Iron Demise.
Ophod and Skales stood alongside the group at the front. Ophiod had opted not to find another weapon, while Skales continued to hold the golden blade that he seemed far too attached to ever give up. Both of them looked forward with hardened eyes, knowing what was to come.
Acronix' and Krux' stood alongside them. Both of them held onto their weapons with a powerful force, readying themselves for this battle. No matter what happened, this would be it for them, for all of them. They had won one battle, but both knew they had yet to win this war.
"FORWARD MARCH!" Lulloyd shouted, stepping forward and taking point. With a loud shout of affirmation from his men, the group began to march forward. Lulloyd kept his expression hardened and focused on the sight in front of him, leading them into the unknown.
The march into the maw of the Iron Demise was a test of nerve in itself. As Lulloyd made his way into the darkness, he felt his own body beg him to turn around and flee as quickly as he could. He forced himself to push on, moving further and further into the Iron Demise.
As the others followed behind them, Harumi's body created a natural glow. Harumi pressed her hands together, forming a massive row of Rhotatae in the air that shot up and hovered around them. Each one sparked golden light, illuminating the massive chamber around them. Once they had all filed inside, they found themselves in the middle of a massive corridor that had doors branching off in all directions. In the distance, they could faintly see large channels that surely would act as elevators.
"Men, spread out and find out which of these chambers is the right one! Groups of five!" Lulloyd shouted, "One Stone Warrior with you at all times!"
The army split according to Lulloyd's instruction, filling into groups of five along with one Stone Warrior. They each moved out to the hallways all around the chamber, slowly making their way inside. Harumi sent her Rhotatae down into the halls with them to provide light.
Suddenly, the lights above them flickered, a dull, almost emergency-red that gave them little light to truly make out any features. Harumi stepped forward, holding her hand forward with another disc charged. The others drew their weapons and spread out over the massive chamber, looking around for the sign of any Vermillion. Monty slid the SoS out of its sheath. They went completely silent, knowing that at any moment, the very walls themselves could open and swallow them.
The silence in the chamber set in, then was swiftly broken as the corridor that was directly across from the entrance they used suddenly lit up with the sound of clashing. A few moments later, the Stone Warrior, his hammer gone, was sent flying out of the shadowy corridor. The Shark Army was then swiftly made to follow him.
Monty saw a flash in the SoS. He raised the sword up into the air, knocking aside the hammer of the Stone Warrior as it came flying out at Lulloyd. Monty narrowed his eyes as he heard footsteps emerge down the corridor.
"Monty," Oni's voice drifted out in a dull echoey whisper, "I've come to finish what we started."
Oni emerged from the corridor, holding up his blue Mask of Domination. In his other hand, he held a large staff, a deep purple crystal imbued into it. He held the staff forward a moment later, dragon claws sprouting up from his hand to actually hold it.
"Fight me," Oni demanded, "Prove to me that this claim you have to the sword is genuine. Prove to me that you have not simply corrupted a pure vessel with your own perverse ideals. Do so, and I shall let the rest of you advance on towards the Twins."
"Psshht, what, you think you can stop all of us?" Garmadon laughed, "Oh don't get me laughing like that, you'll make me-"
Monty held up Ebony, "...I'll do it. The rest of you, go."
"Monty," Lloyd began. Monty turned towards him, giving him a long look.
"Go, right now," Monty growled, "You know what that mask can do. We don't have time to worry about that. Go on and just get to the Twins. I'll stay here and make sure that he doesn't do anything funny."
"Each of these corridors will take you to elevators to the next floor," Oni nodded, "You will want to travel to the holding chambers. That it where you will encounter the Vermillion, and more than likely, your adversaries."
Lloyd hesitated for a few more seconds, but the looks of his friends told him that it wasn't worth arguing with him. Monty stepped forward, nodding his head just once. The rest of them gently began to filter around Monty, moving off towards the corridors and splitting up as they did. Each leader took the point on them, walking down cautiously. It took several minutes before, finally, Ronin was alone with him.
"Kid, you need help with this guy?" Ronin asked, "I'm happy to pummel him."
"No, I'm good," Monty sighed, "Just go. Make sure you get a good bird's eye view."
Ronin blinked twice, then nodded and slowly went after the rest of them. Oni stepped forward as soon as Ronin was gone, slowly growling out at him.
"Now then," Oni declared, "It is time for us to decide which of us is truly worthy of wielding the sword of destiny."